Paul Greengrass Ends 'Fantastic Voyage'

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Greengrass won’t be directing Fantastic Voyage, the 3D remake being prepped by 20th Century Fox and producer James Cameron. I’m told that Greengrass is focusing instead on Treasure Island, a stylized adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel that Sherlock Holmes producer Lionel Wigram is working on at Warner Bros. Greengrass hasn’t locked into that project either; they are trying to agree on a screenwriter.

Greengrass had been in talks for Fantastic Voyage but never committed, despite all the hoopla in the trades. Producers Cameron and Jon Landau alluded to this while promoting the Avatar DVD release. They said they were high on the Shane Salerno script, but when asked about Greengrass, they mentioned wanting to date before putting on a ring. Well, there will be no trip to the altar and perhaps it’s all for the best. 3D is already giving people headaches; imagine this film shot in the director’s trademark hand-held style? Greengrass was the first — and so far only — director shown the script, but that will change shortly as Cameron and Fox look to land another big name. Note to Greengrass: now that you’re single again, any chance on reconsidering a fourth Bourne Identity, the movie we all really really want to see?